A significant reduction in black money in the economy following the government’s decision to withdraw old higher denomination currency notes may have a substantial impact on the Kerala real estatesector as the move can reduce the number of unaccounted transactions in the secondary market to a great extent. But that comes as good news for home buyers as a decline in such transactions in the sector will lead to price rationalisation.

3) Always check for HTTPS in your browser when making online transactions

4) Never click on links that arrive in text messages, emails, WhatsApp

Some of them run scripts and can send all your info to the hacker.

If a friend sends you link to check out something on Flipkart, better go and search that thing yourself instead of clicking the link

5) Never use any device other than your personal device to access your account

You’ll often find people suggesting you not to use public computer systems to access your accounts, but whenever I see any of my relatives’ or sometimes friends’ systems, they tend to have some sort of malware or unwanted but suspicious browser extensions installed.

You cannot be sure how technically sound your relatives/friends are in protecting their computers, so best to avoid their devices for banking transactions.

6) Use two-factor authentication if your bank provides that option

Make sure your phone is locked and SMS that you get aren’t visible on the locked screen. If you do not take care of this part, having a two-factor authentication kind of loses it’s purpose, since gaining access to your unlocked phone pretty much gives someone access to your email ID (to reset password) and SMS (for two-factor authentication).

Passwords

1) Change your net banking password, ATM pin regularly (3 months)

2) Never reuse banking passwords in other sites

Always have separate banking passwords for all accounts and make sure they are not even similar.

If you’re the kind of person who cannot remember passwords, write down password hints for yourself such that only you can figure out what the password is from that hint. This means you cannot use passwords hints like “son’s name + wife’s DOB”.

3) Use Keep password manager if you are tech savvy

Otherwise write your passwords on a paper and keep it very very safe

Others

1) Stop giving out your phone number and email id.

Do not register your phone numbers at places where it’s not needed.

Online offers that look too good to be true like ’50 lucky registered winners will get free iPhone 7′ actually are too good to be true.

Shopper’s stop or Reliance fresh asking you for your phone number during checkout? Don’t give it to them! Your number ends up in their spamming database. And if any of these numbers end up in the hands of a company that specializes in scamming, that can land you in trouble.

I’ve gotten calls from people multiple times claiming they’re calling from my bank (they knew my bank name, my phone number and my name, so I would suspect they were who they claimed they were). But then they ask you to verify yourself by telling you your address and other details. Slowly they’ll make their way to your debit card number.

Do not give out such sensitive details to anyone on phone, even if they claim they’re from your bank, no matter how genuine they sound.

2) Don’t share your email id, birth date on social media. If you have FB, then hide them.

With this information they get duplicate sims from your cellphone provider and Reset your passwords.

4) Always be safe with money

There are people inside a bank, one that marks other people taking out money, other, that’s outside and puts a game on you.

These guys are pro’s, if they’ve targeted you, then chances are there’s a very good reason for it. They see you are weakling and either steal or dacoit, that is what they will do. Rare, but still happens.

A young bodied guy is less likely to get duped, but your mom, aunt, grandma/pa is a bull’s eye for them thieves. Accompany them if you can. Money is a strange thing, and people will do anything to have more of it.